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Primary care clinics to open in 5 Tom Thumb stores

Services in the clinics will include treatment of minor illnesses and injuries, chronic disease management, immunizations, physicals and health screenings.

Baylor Scott & White Health announced the rollout of five primary care clinics in Tom Thumb stores throughout North Texas. The first location, in the 315 S. Hampton Road store in Dallas, opened this week and the four additional clinics will open this month and next month.

The clinics are operated by the healthcare system's affiliate, HealthTexas Provider Network (HTPN), a multispecialty medical group. The clinics will serve more communities in areas where North Texans are living and working.

"Through the new collaboration with Tom Thumb, we're able to offer quality, affordable basic primary care treatment in convenient locations," said F. David Winter, M.D., president and chairman, HTPN. "Each clinic will be open seven days a week, making routine primary care services even more accessible."

Services in the clinics will include treatment of minor illnesses and injuries, chronic disease management, immunizations, physicals and health screenings. In addition, any patient who receives care at the clinics will be connected to the greater network of primary care and specialty care physicians at Baylor Scott & White through an electronic health record system.

The clinics will be available for walk-ins and scheduled appointments. There will be one advanced practice provider and one medical assistant on site at all times. The clinics will be located directly next to Tom Thumb pharmacies and are enclosed behind a door that leads to the clinic waiting room.

Parent company Albertsons joins the growing number of drugstore and supermarket chains—including Walmart and CVS—offering in-store clinics in order to provide additional and convenient health benefits to consumers. In 2015, 10 million people visited a retail clinic.

"As lifestyles continue to be more busy, we know that people are looking for easy healthcare options," Connie Yates, a spokesperson for Tom Thumb, told FierceRetail. "As we explored options to partner with a healthcare provider, we wanted a strong innovative partner who had the same vision and passion for providing more accessible healthcare for the communities we serve. We wanted the best and we knew Baylor Scott & White was the one."

According to Yates, Tom Thumb already offers a number of services that play into the growing number of retailers offering healthy lifestyle options to suit consumer demand. For example, Tom Thumb offers general and travel immunizations and food tours for diabetic patients. The tours teach patients how to better control their disease through reading labels and eating properly.

"Having pharmacies and clinics in a grocery store allows healthcare providers to be more accessible and readily available," Yates said. "Stopping for a question or a quick follow-up can be done while grocery shopping rather than a special trip to a doctor's office."

Tom Thumb has 62 stores in North Texas and 44 under the Albertsons banner.